Amid stern hostility in Red Bull Camp, David Croft has redefined the relationship between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. The Sky Sports presenter said the duo is neither “best of friends” nor “at war with each other.”
This comes after the reports of a damaged relationship between the two Red Bull drivers. However, none of the drivers or team opened up about it after the recently concluded Saudi Arabian GP.
VAMOS!
Sergio Perez claims pole position in Jeddah 👏 pic.twitter.com/WlqcAwZD9y
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) March 18, 2023
Talking to SEN Sportsday, Crofty revealed that Verstappen and Perez aren’t friends. He cited the incidents in Jeddah when the Dutchman pulled off a stunning last-minute lap to snatch the fastest lap.
And the 25-year-old denying to let the Mexican through in Brazil last year has caused friction between the two. The Sky Sports personality also mentioned the 2022 Monaco GP qualifications, where the Mexican crashed and canceled the Dutch pilot’s final qualification run in Q3.
However, both drivers race for a single team, and they have never been title protagonists. Hence, there is no war between the two so far despite not everything being so smooth between them, thinks the renowned commentator as per Planet F1.
Croft ruled out the driver dispute between Verstappen and Perez
The commentator believes the last lap in Saudi Arabia wasn’t enough to bring out any dispute between the Red Bull duo. The one-point snatch might have been harsh for the 33-year-old but not enough to bring out a stern opposition.
However, Croft thinks the Mexican was a bit vulnerable in the end as he thought his teammate was allowed to do lap times faster than him. But, he was lucky as the Dutchman was quite far away, with few laps remaining.
Max Verstappen is out of qualifying after suffering engine issues.
He’ll start P15 tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/8OSOeIC2WD
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) March 18, 2023
Moreover, it is believed that Perez wasn’t happy over the last lap to snatch as he missed out on a chance to lead a driver’s championship for the first time in his F1 career.
Christian Horner kept his team ahead of Verstappen
The Red Bull team principal denied favoring the 25-year-old in the team. As per reports, Horner asked the drivers to respect the team, respect themselves and ultimately respect the car they are in.
Furthermore, the drivers were allowed to race freely. Which, in fact, didn’t work out as the driver no. #11 started on the pole, whereas his Dutch teammate started from P15 after his driveshaft story.
It is believed that the Austrian boss and his team are likely working towards avoiding a situation similar to 2018. The year when Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen ferociously competed against each other and paid the ultimate price in Baku, Azerbaijan.
